This past January the website Indie Sew hosted #ShirtMonth as a way to celebrate making button down shirts & shirt dresses. Since I’m focusing on making more handmade clothing items this year, I thought it would be fun to try and make something.
Indie Sew hosted a webinar all about some of their most popular shirt patterns on the site, and the Hey June Handmade Cheyenne Tunic was one of the most talked about tops. The main things were that it has incredible instructions and beautiful finishes. I even already owned the pattern, so I decided to go for it.
The Cheyenne Tunic has a bunch of options to choose from. You can make a shirt length or tunic length top, plus 3/4 sleeves or long sleeve, plus a full placket or partial placket. I love that there are so many options to choose from, and for my first version went with a tunic with 3/4 sleeves and a partial placket.
For my fabric I used Essex Yarn Dyed Linen that I had in my stash. I wasn’t sure how I would like this top, so I wanted to use something in my stash before using something a bit pricier. Ultimately the linen turned out to be a bad choice. It doesn’t flow or drape very well so it ended up being pretty stiff and boxy.
One thing I did love about this pattern is the construction of the top. The pattern is written so that the top is constructed using french seams. They take a little bit longer in the scheme of things, but the finished product is so dang pretty.
My next version of this top is going to be a traditional button down with the full placket and long sleeves. I really want to make a couple of shirts that I can wear for Quilt Market next month. Plus it’ll give me more options for #MeMadeMay!
Have you made the Cheyenne Tunic? What did you think about it? 🙂
